Sliding-door check



J. H. MITCHELL.

SLIDING DOOR CHECK. APPLICATIONY'FILED MAY 3. 1919.

Patented NOY- 2, 1920.

UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

.IoI-IN n. /IITcHELL, or nvans'ron, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 WILLIAM H. MINER, or

CRAZY, NEW YORK.

SLIDING-DOOR CHECK,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN R. MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sliding-Door Checks, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this Specification.

This invention relates to improvements in sliding door checks.

In the operation of railroad baggage cars, the baggagemen have frequently been injured while standing in the doorway due to the sudden closing of the heavy sliding side doors caused by sudden changes in the speed of the train. Various attempts have been made to overcome this difficulty but the same have not. been entirely successful, so far as I am aware.

The object of my invention is to provide a relatively inexpensive and simple arrangement that may be attached to the sliding side doors of baggage cars for the purpose of effectively breaking or checking the same agalnst sudden and unrestrlcted movement to closed position to thereby avoid all possible injury to persons standing in the door- I g horizontal top wall 26, a rear vertical wall way. I

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is an interior elevational view of a portion of a baggage car showing my improvements in connection with the sliding side door thereof, the floor being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a vertical, sectional view taken substantially on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged, detailed sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. And Fig. 4. is an enlarged, detail, sectional view taken substantially on the line i-d of Fig. 3.

In said drawing, 10 denotes a sliding side door of abaggage carsuch as are now in common use. Said door 10 is supported by brackets 11--11 that carry antifriction roll-- ers 12,. said rollers 12 having grooved peripheries and traveling on a horizontal rail or track 13 securedto the inner wall 'ofthe car above the door opening. The door opening is definedby a suitable door framework comprising a lintel 14, side door posts 15 and threshold 16. Thelatter maybe protected by a suitable wear plate 17 to minimize injury tothe car from trucking and Specification of Letters Patent.

. Application filed May 3, 1919.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

Serial No. 294,445.

the like. The wear plate 17 may be provided'with an upstanding relatively shallow rib 1S engaging a corresponding groove 19 in the bottom edge of the door 10 to thereby prevent the door from swinging inwardly.

The door 10 is shown in Fig. 1 in its closed normal position and it will be noted that there is a slight clearance indicated at 20 in Fig. 2 between the top edge of the door and the rail support and a corresponding slight clearance indicated at 21 between the bottom edge of the door and the threshold proper. From the fore oing, it will be evident that the weight or the door is carried normally by the rollers 12 mounted on the track 13 and that the door 10 is relatively free to move horizontally.

In order to check sudden movements of the door toward closed position, I provide the following means: Secured to the door 10 at the bottom thereof near the forward or advance edge of the door is a housing 22 preferably in the form of a casting. Said housing 22 has a flange 23 bywhich it be screwed to .the door and has achamber 24 open at the bottom in a plane flush with the lower edge of the door. The housing 22 is preferably so constructed as to provide a vertical wall 25 at the forward end thereof, a

27, the walls 27 and 26 being connected by a curved section 28 as clearly shown in Fig. 3. Mounted within the housing 22 is a roller 29 which is loose and normally entirely free from weight of the door. Said roller 29 is adapted to roll upon the floor or threshold of the cares clearly apparent from Figsfil and 3. Also, mounted within the housing 22 and in advance of the roller 29,'that is, between the roller 29 and the "forward edge of the door, is a checking block or wedge 30 having a lower horizontalface 31 and inclined wedging face 32,,the latter being in proximity to the periphery of the roller 29. The chock ing block 30 is made of such length that a slight amount of movement, horizontally, is permissible between the vertical wall 25 of the housing and the roller 29. As shown in block 30 will besufficientto create friction between the block and the floor and, retard V closed position will force the roller 29 up the inclined face 32, since the roller is pushed by the housing. As the roller 29 rides 11p the inclined face 32 of the chocking block, it is evident that the roller itself will be forced up into engagement with the top wall 26 of the housing and gradually lift the door, or at least the forward portion thereof, until the upper edge of the door engages with the rail support, thus jamming the door between the rail support and the floor or threshold. Any continued movement of the door toward closed position after this condition has oc curred inerely serves to jam the door more tightly and place more weight'or pressure on the roller 29 and checking block to thereby augment the friction. In this manner, it is evident that the door cannot move freely toward closed position without becoming jammed or wedged so asto efiectively stop it after a very slight movement or impulse of the door towardclosed position, regardless of the position in which the door is at the time it is started toward its closed position, Movement of the door 10. in an opening di rection is, of course, not checked by the block 30 and roller 29 since the block will track behind the roller and cannot wedge it against the housing 22. p r

In order to permit closing movement of the door, under control, I provide a lifting rod 33 which passes through a suitable opening 34: in the top of the housing 22 and which is, pivotally. connected at its lower end by means of a pin 35 to'the chocking block 30.

a At its upper end, the rod 33 is formed with a loop 36 having anelongated opening 37 therein 1 to accommodate a suitable pin or rivet 38 rigidly carried by a lever 39 having an operating lever handle 40. -T he lever 39 40 is oscillated in eitherdirection from its,

.vertical position, the lever 39 will fulcrum J about either of its ends on the flanges 42 of the bracket 41 and thereby cause the'rod 33 to be elevated. Elevation of the rod 33 will obviously lift the wide end ofthe chocking block 30 and pull the, block 30 from underneath the roller 29 sufliciently to disrupt the wedging or checking action. The operator or baggageman can move thefdoor to its closed position by means of said handle 40 and while the chocking block is lifted as above described, the sharp end thereof will wmerely drag. along the floor or threshold without wedging against the roller '29. As will be evident, the'weight of the rod 33 augments the weight of the block 30in holding V the block 30011 the 001 or threshold.

The arrangement which I have provided is not only simpleandelfective but is com pact and may be appliedto new baggage cars as well as to those nowin service; Furthermore, on account of the compactness'of the arrangement, it may be placed sufliciently near the forward or advance edge of the door as to p'erinit the latter to be moved in an opening direction the necessary amount without danger of the, chocking device interfering withanyrslats or other casing within usually slide as they .tion, the combination with an element movable but-loosely associated with the door and normally 'free from any weight of the door,

7 of a wedge member in proximity to said element and also loosely associated withrthe door and normally free from any weight of the door, said member being adapted to movewith the door and track along an adjacent part of the door framework, said wedge member, when frictionally retarded,

. engaging said element and adapted to elevate thelatter untilboth element and mem-' her support a part of the weight of the door and thereby prevent continued movement of the door toward closed position.

2. In a check for a horizontally slidable door supported from a door framework, the check being adapted tonormally prevent movement ofthe' door towardclosed posi tion, the combination with an element movable but loosely associated with the door and normally free from any weight of the door,

' or, a wedge meinberin proximity to said element and'also'loosely associated with the door and normally free from any weight ofthe door, said member being adapted to move with the door and track along an adjacent part of "the door framework, said wedge member, when frictionallyretarded,

engaging element and adaptedyto elevate the latter until both element andamemher support a part of the weight of; the door and thereby prevent continued movement of the door toward) closed position, and means j for manually disengaging said wedge mcmher from operative relation with, ,said'element. 7 7'" v 3. In a check for a horizontally ,slidable door supported'from a door framework, the

check being adapted to normally prevent movement, of the door toward closed posi tlon, the combination-with, a roller movable With but loosely associated With the door and normally free from any weight thereof, of a chocking block located in proximity to said roller and on the side thereof nearest the advance edge of the door, said chocking block being also loosely associated with the door and adapted to track over an adjacent portion of the framework When the door moves toward closed position, said chocking block being arranged to be frictionally retarded and to chock said roller until the roller and chocking block sustain a part of the weight of the door. 4

4. In a check for a horizontally slidable door supported from a door framework, the check being adapted to normally prevent movement of the door toward closed position, the combination with a roller movable with but loosely associated with the door and normally free from any weight thereof, of a chocking block located in proximity to said roller and. on the side thereof nearest the advance edge of the door, said chocking block being also loosely associated with the door and adapted to track over an adjacent portion of the framework when the door moves toward closed position, said chocking block being arranged to be frictionally retarded and to chock said roller until the roller and chocking block sustain a part of the weight of the door, and'means for manually moving the chocking block to an inoperative position with respect to the roller.

5. In a check for a horizontally slidable door supported from a door framework, the check being adapted to normally prevent movement of the door toward closed position, the combination with a housing carried by the door at its bottom edge, of a roller loosely mounted within said casing and adapted normally to roll upon the floor, and a chocking block also loosely mounted Within said housing and normally riding freely upon the floor, said chocking block being disposed on the side of the roller nearest the forward edge of the door, said chocking block being arranged to track upon the floor and Wedge beneath the roller when the door moves toward closed position to there'- by lift the roller until it engages the housing and in turn lifts the door, a lift rod pivotally attached to the checking block, and a manually operable lever associated with the lift rod for elevating the latter so as to lift the chocking block to an inoperative position.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing 1 have hereunto subscribed my name this 15th day of Apr, 1919.

JQHN R. MITCHELL. 

